A Low-Cost Filament Winding Technology for University Laboratories and Startups

This paper systematically explains the methodology and results of empirical work on the development of a low-cost filament winding technology for manufacturing axisymmetric polymer composite structures with a high length-to-diameter ratio, such as tubes, motor casings, and pressure vessels. The principal objective was to examine the experiences and most optimal practices in the development of computer-controlled equipment and auxiliary tooling for the wet filament-winding process. To preclude expensive commercial software for the automated control of a winding machine, analytical equations were derived for the winding trajectory of a four-axis filament-winding machine. The feasibility of the proposed equations was successfully validated by laying the fiber along the geodesic path marked on the surface of a cylindrical mandrel with hemispherical ends. Moreover, the carbon/epoxy cylindrical casings with hemispherical ends and port openings of the same diameter were wound to determine the thickness distribution in the hemispherical dome. The fiber volume ratio in the wound composite parts was evaluated using an optical technique.